Penumbra: Overture Review

By Catherine Black | June 05, 2012

Obsession can be dangerous. Its consuming nature causes otherwise rational people to spiral headlong into some bad situations. Take Phillip, the main character in Penumbra: Overature. After receiving a note from his long lost father -- 30 years lost actually -- telling him specifically not to come find him, his slide into obsession over the occurrences surrounding his patriarch's disappearance takes him down a one way track to despair and dementia in the depths of a mine in Greenland. While the story presentation can be clumsy, along with some of the game's controls, what's here is a pretty good effort from a small developer creating the first episode in an adventure series that has a lot of potential for future creepouts.

It's a strange mood that immediately grabs hold when loading up this first episode of Penumbra. Phillip's confusion becomes your own, which from one point of view helps you forget your own life and step into his shoes, but from another point of view simply comes off as incomplete storytelling. Yes, Phillip has been wondering about his father for years but why would he pick up his life and go on what was likely to be a one way trip to Greenland in the search of answers? Why would he develop an unnatural obsession even in the light of incredible danger? Even a quick intro about a useless life unfulfilled because of questions about his father's disappearance would have served as a more grounding introduction.

As it is, the story is told through a quick introduction followed by several notes and books found in the environment and some fairly insane dialog from a recurring influence named Red. The mine that Phillip so recklessly flings himself into has a great air of mystery about it and reading through the various notes and hearing the ramblings of Red only helps increase your own uneasy need to delve deeper into the mystery. While the game doesn't manage to produce a level of obsession equal to what the main character is supposedly feeling (partly because his own journey into darkness isn't particularly poetic or really justified), there are enough interesting questions presented to want to know more, especially with a disturbing scenario and creepy cliffhanger at the end of the episode.

I guess it's just a matter of no turning back, even when undead dogs, spiders, and gigantic Tremors-like worms start attacking. Deeper and deeper the rabbit hole goes, where it stops, nobody knows. Once Phillip jumps into that hatch, his old life ended.

Whether you appreciate the mood and themes or not, Penumbra does have some interesting mechanics for a PC adventure game. Developer Frictionless has utilized the mouse much like the Wiimote is being used in many of the games on Nintendo's new console. Mouse over a interactive item and the cursor will turn to a hand allowing control of that object in a physics based environment. Simply click to grab and then pull, push, turn, or pick up the objects to manipulate them. Every door needs to be opened with a push or a pull and many other objects have the same effect. In a lot of cases, these simple physics rules create some interesting gameplay puzzles and solutions. I can't shake the feeling that I wish there was more of that, but what is there is pretty good for the first episode of an unproven adventure series from a small development house. None of this is totally new, but it is a welcome change for an adventure title.

What isn't good is the combat system. It uses the same interactive ideas. Equip a weapon such as a hammer or a pickaxe, hold the left mouse button, and then use mouse movements to swing the object at enemies. The problem is the enemies are too fast and persistent and the controls too clumsy to be an effective solution in a one on one fight. In some respects, that puts more of the focus on sneaking, but combat is unavoidable and frustrating at certain points in the game. Luckily, the enemy AI is incredibly simple so it's possible to fool enemies into falling down pits or simply stand on a box and wait for them to run up and try to bite you (which they can't do because they can't reach you) and whack them on the nose when they attack. Either way, it's a lousy system that they should really reconsider for the next episode.

All of the game takes place in a full 3D environment which allows freedom of movement, unlike many slideshow adventure titles. It helps with the immersion though the dated graphics engine doesn't. While some of the environments have a creepy "there's no way out, what the hell am I doing here?" type of feel to them, they're technically way behind the PC game average. Enemies are pretty poorly modeled and environmental textures aren't much better. It makes me wonder if the reason you never see any humans dead or alive (aside from making the player feel alone) is that they didn't have the technical budget for it. The darkness of the environment helps set the mood and add some scares thanks to the game's minimal, yet creepy soundwork, but the series could definitely use a bigger technical budget.

Penumbra: Overture Cheats

Penumbra: Overture Game Walkthrough

June 05, 2012

===============================================================================
P E N U M B R A O V E R T U R E
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===============================================================================
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
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Foreword
Version History
Walkthrough
===============================================================================
F O R E W O R D
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When I was a little kid, I always wanted to make my own video games. As the
years progressed, however, I grew to realize that I didn't have the talent.
So, supporting my love of video games, I began to write reviews and FAQs in
2006. Three have been published so far. This is my fourth FAQ.
This guide's a little different. It's taken me longer than anticipated, so I've
decided to drop it. I wanted to release it anyway because the majority of the
game material is covered. If anything towards the end confuses you because it
is written in a "notes-only" format, PLEASE email me at tripp9@bellsouth.net.
Sorry for the incomplete product. The chances of an update are slim.
===============================================================================
V E R S I O N H I S T O R Y
===============================================================================
June 7, 2008: First release.
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W A L K T H R O U G H
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RECOMMENDED DIFFICULTY: HARD
RECOMMENDED GAMMA: ONE POINT OH
What does Penumbra mean in the context of the game?
1. a space of partial illumination (as in an eclipse)
2. a shaded region surrounding the dark central portion of a sunspot
3. a surrounding or adjoining region in which something exists in a lesser
degree
4. a body of rights held to be guaranteed by implication in a civil
constitution
5. something that covers, surrounds, or obscures
Phillip lives in Heathrow, England. In the early 1970s, his father Howard
vanished and was declared dead. In 2000, Phillip's mother died. Shortly after,
on February 18th, 2000, he received a letter from his "dead" father who was
actually still alive. Howard told Phillip to go to a bank in Mayfair, take
the books and notes from the safety deposit box there, and burn them. Of
course, Phillip does not do that; he reads the notes instead. They point to a
location in Northern Greenland. Curious, Phillip goes there on "The last flight
I would ever take."
Phillip will survive if he's narrating all of this in flashback.
====
BOAT
====
Right when you start off, the game tells you how to pick things up and how to
examine things (or how to "take a closer look"). Press the examine button to
clear white text messages from the screen. First, examine the map of Greenland
(also notice that it is labeled "America-Nordpolar Expedition" - the red lines
represent the expedition path). Next, take the Notebook this is next to the
map. The game further explains the interact function. Let's test it.
Turn around and you should see the desk the game referred to. Go up to it,
examine it, use the interaction button, and pull your mouse back to open the
drawer. Take the Flashlight from inside. The game tells you a shortcut to
access it.
Turn to the left. See the locker? Examine the locker and the padlock on it.
Press your inventory key and double-click on the Padlock key to equip it.
Aim at the padlock and press the interact button. Drag open the locker; take
the Batteries and Glow Stick from inside.
Now the game tells you to leave, but we still have more stuff to do. Drag open
the chest to the left of the desk (but be sure to examine it first). Inside is
the "Fisherman's Wife's Love Letter." Read it - just a little backstory.
(Does anyone know when the Greenland Trout Season is? If so, email me!).
Before we leave, there are some other things to examine.
-The two portholes
-The bed and the poster at the head of the bed
-The bottle of Jake Aniel Whiskey to the right of the map
When you're finished, exit via the door opposite the map. Use the interact
button to switch between maps.
=======
OUTSIDE
=======
So Phillip goes out into the Greenland wilderness to look for anything that
might involve his father. He starts to catch hypothermia and he needs to find
shelter. That's when we gain control of Phillip.
Walk forward and don't dily-daly; your health is in danger. On the way forward
you'll encounter some rocks. Read the white text and examine them. Continue
forward and you'll come to a hatch. Shelter! But the wheel on the hatch is
frozen. We need to remove the ice. Go back to the rocks, grab one, and take it
back to the hatch. Aim and toss the rock at the ice (toss = examine button).
Grab the wheel and turn it clockwise. Then grab the hatch (not the wheel) and
pull it up. Your screen should be flashing red by now (on Hard), so leg it down
the hatch (that is, just drop into it).
====================
UNDERGROUND ENTRANCE
====================
As Phillip is climbing down this ladder, it breaks. He crashes to the floor
and is now stranded in this underground cave. Let's take a look around.
Look straight up and examine the ladder. How are we going to get back out?
You'll notice you're in a small antechamber with a grate floor. Enter the
next, darker, room. I will never suggest whether or not you should use your
Flashlight or Glow Stick in the walkthrough.
To your immediate left are barrels. Examine them. To your immediate right is
a sign labeled "Emergency Exit Procedures" but it's illegible. To the
left near the barrels are old boxes - examine them. What would you need ammo
for in Northern Greenland? Animals? Anyway, walk to the other end of the
room. A door! Examine and open it, but it's somehow blocked (Note added).
Let's finish exploring this room. To the right of this door are barrels.
Behind the barrels is a Flare. To the left of the door there is a box. Take
the lid off and you'll find another Flare. Also to the left of the door is
another door with a metal pole/rod lying on the ground in front of it. Take the
rod and enter the door.
There are shelves in here. Examine the shelves on the left as well as the
ration packs on the shelves. If you look closely, you can make out "Beer and
Potatoes." Raid these shelves of a Flare and a Hammer. The game tells you how
to use the Hammer. Assign the Hammer to Keyslot 1 in your Inventory. There are
also ammo boxes in here, and more shelves. One of the shelves is metal.
Interesting. It is also the only shelf you can grab. Do so and toss it aside.
Some boards are revealed. Try to move them (Note added). Use your Hammer
instead, then put it away. Crouch and enter this unnatural tunnel.
You'll come to a T-junction of sorts. It does not matter what path you take.
You'll eventually end up in a man-made room. To the right is a thing that
looks like a rusty square on a thin metal stick. Examine it. You'll also notice
a trapdoor here. Go up to it and something underneath tries to get out.
Who knows what it was. There's also a door in here. Move the barrel out of the
way and you've unblocked the door from the other room.
Now turn your attention back to the rusty square device. Go your Inventory and
equip the Metal Rod. Use it on the square and you create a working device.
Turn the device clockwise until the trapdoor opens.
Descend.
==========
OLD SHAFTS
==========
The game goes into a slightly long tutorial on how to sneak. When it's done,
take out your Flashlight and go forward (there are various items to examine,
most of them potential weapons). You'll run into a map; use the Glow Stick as
you read it. The red circle is your current location. See the office? Let's go
there. From the map, you should go left, right, left, left, right. Signs
should a help a little.
==========
OLD OFFICE
==========
Lots of good stuff in here. Examine the papers on the ground right in front of
you. There is a neat stack and dishelveled papers to examine. There is also
an overturned file cabinet with nothing inside. Next to the file cabinet is
a desk (examine it and the billboard above it). On top of the desk are three
things. The first is a bottle of Baxtrin. The second is the Captain's Log. It
reveals a lot of info.
8-15-45 is a Wednesday. Appearantly this mine is part of Emergency Airstrip
Zulu as taken over by a British platoon. We also learn that explosives are
kept in the Storage Room, and that an explosives manual in here, in this very
office. Finally, the log mentions a weird artefact.
The third item is the weird artefact. Use it and Phillip has a vision of his
father "clutching" something unseen. The practical point of these things?
Your game is saved.
You'll also notice that the desk has drawers in the lower right hand corner.
The top drawer contains a Small Key and a Copenhagen Post Article (August 17
of 1930 is actually a Sunday, not a Monday!). The article talks about a
mind-altering substance called Lysergic Acid (In actuality, Lysergic Acid comes
from fungi and animals, not rocks!) and mentions the "Tuumgait," an Inuit
devil.
To the right of the door as you come in is another desk. Examine the 78 year
old typewriter. This desk also has drawers - the middle one contains
Beef Jerky. Face the typewriter and turn around. Examine the first shelf on
the left, then look up and examine the grate (To putrify = to decompose).
On the shelf under the grate is a Flare.
Opposite that shelf are more filing cabinets. Raid them for another Beef
Jerky and your first Painkiller. By now I'm sure you've noticed that chest on
the floor. Try to open it - it's locked. Use your Small Key on it and open the
chest for real. Take the Big Book of Explosives aka "Explosives Book" but do
not read any of it.
Exit the office (save your game again).
============
OLD SHAFTS 2
============
As you exit, you meet your first Dog. Jump on top of the wooden box nearby
so he can't hurt you. Take "potswings" at him with the Hammer until he goes
down. DO NOT ABANDON THE BOX UNTIL HE HIS DEAD. DO NOT USE ANY PAINKILLERS.
Now retrace your steps back to the map. The Officer's Log mentioned 7 bayonets.
Maybe they are in the Storage area. Let's find out. From the map, go right
three times and enter the door you find.
=======
STORAGE
=======
There are four shelves in here, one in each corner. One shelf has paint
cans to examine (complete with color names), one has boxes and boxes of rusty
nails, one of a bunch of wiring, and one has an Empty Lighter and the
equivalent of cave drawings (examine them). The cave drawings basically say
that 1) A nearby trapdoor leads to spiders 2) Spiders are bad 3) That Lighter
needs some Fuel to work.
Return to the entrance and face the way you did when you came in. Enter the
door to the right. Once again, a locked door. Try the door in the center, and
you will find that it is also locked; but noises come from the other side.
Another human. We have to get in there! So try to door to the left.
There's a big box that you should examine in here - an ore transporting cart.
Grab hold of the box and push your foreward movement key; the box moves
slightly. Repeat until you uncover the trapdoor underneath. Examine it and
open it. Examine the ladder hinges - I wonder where the ladder is? Jump down
to the home of Spiders. What is so bad about Spiders?
Go to the opposite end of the room. Another unnatural tunnel. Examine it and
go in. After a little ways you can examine the tunnel again. A spider runs
past you. So, it looks like Phillip is an arachnapohebic.
Anyway, proceed forward to a junction. To the left is the ladder. Take it and
go re-attach it to the hinges. Return to the junction and go right. You'll run
into a dead Dog (examine!). Keep going and you reach a T-junction. Go right
and you'll find a Flare and Scientific Findings 1. The paper talks about the
man in the room up above, how an incident (cave-in?) occurred, he ran here,
found the spiders, and started to eat them for food. Go back to the T-junction.
From your current perspective, go right until you reach steam. Whenever it
stops, run by the steam pipe. To the left is a minor tunnel. At the end is
an examinable old spider egg and Scientific Findings 2. This paper talks about
how the man in the Storage Room discovered how hostile the spiders were.
That's probably why he cut off the ladder. Now return. There is more steam
to your left. Go through and keep dodging them and you'll end up in an actual
man-made storage area.
Use your Hammer to break the lock here. Inside, to the right, are two things.
The first a valve you can turn to eliminate the steam. The second is a chest
with Batteries inside. On the left side of this room is more paint (this
time it's Hospital Grey color) and Fluid Lighter Gas.
In your Inventory, drag the Fluid Lighter Gas to Keyslot 9 to refill the
Lighter. Now re-assign the Zippo Lighter to Keyslot 9. Return to the
room with the ladder and a very large spider kills the man above you. Damn!
Climb up and enter the room to the left. There's a shelf with Batteries,
Painkillers, and an Artefact (Phillip says he had more control that time - but
over what? What his father was clutching in the darkness?). Return to the
initial room you entered in this map.
See the blood? Enter the door across from your location. A spider-hole
is there, so examine it. There is a drawer here that contains Beef Jerky.
Now backtrack and enter the room the man used to live in.
We're interested in the desk to the left. Take the Old Key and Spider
Hater's note. The note talks about how this man had to amputate his toungue
due to spider venom. There is another room here to explore, but it is empty
save for a dead spider. Check it out if you wish, then get out of here.
============
OLD SHAFTS 3
============
Optional: I'm sure you've noticed the old paraffin lamps. Use the Zippo Lighter
to illuminate them. They will not be mentioned in the main walkthrough.
Return to the locked door in the northern regions of this place. Unlock it
using the Old Key and you'll reach an area with paraffin lamps that are on.
A dog is coming from behind. To the right is a box with a map on it. Jump onto
that box and stay away from the edges. Use the Hammer to kill the Dog when it
sees you. You should not take any major damage.
Take a look at the map. Explosives directly to the west. Head there and you'll
see an old cement mixer and a TNT container (do I have to say examine them?).
We'll leave them there for now. Return to the previous room and check out all
the junk - mining slag, old wheels, cement bags. Look at the map again. Go to
where it is marked "Northern Area."
You've found the cave-in. Take the note from the cave-in site "My Favorite
Workshop." It was written by someone calling himself Red (it's written in the
third person i.e. by an egocentric). I'm sure you can figure out the hidden
keycode from the capitalized words. 8412. Go back and get the TNT. Bring it to
the cave-in site and place it in the slight depression area (it should "click"
into place).
For this to work, you need a fuse. Read Chapter 1.3 of the Big Explosives Book.
So we need string, gunpowder, and Baxtrin. You have Baxtrin. The other
materials are probably in the Workshop. Go back to the map in the room with
the mining slag/cemement/old wheels. Locate the Workshop - directly to the
east. Walk there and go in.
============
OLD WORKSHOP
============
There is a shelf to the left with an opened box. Take the string that lies
inside. Now we need gunpowder, which, as confirmed in the Captain's Log,
is here. Turn around and go use the Artefact (grab the Flare on the shelf). To
the right of the Artefact are some old sawblades. Face the Artefact and turn
around. There are some old mining shovels. Enter the room to the right. There
are various mechanical bits and pieces in here. But notice the rocks to the
left of the entrance (Phillip does). Move some rocks out of the way to uncover
a Pick Axe. Assign it to Keyslot 2.
To the right of the Artefact is a door you can enter. Walk along this path.
When given a choice, take the first left. Go through this side corridor. There
are 2 Flares here. You come out at a paraffin lamp. Examine the gate that is
off its hinges. Turn right and go down the hallway. Take the first left and
you'll discover an electrical fence. Use barrels from the surrounding areas
to climb over the fence. Walk down the corridor to the blocked Workshop
proper. Bust the door down with your Hammer. Inside, break the barrel in the
upper left corner. Gunpowder!
In your Inventory, drag the string to the Baxtrin to create a soaked string.
Then use the Soaked String on the Gunpowder to create a Fuse. Then get out of
here.
============
OLD SHAFTS 4
============
Return to the TNT. Use the Fuse on the TNT. Then use the Zippo Lighter on the
Fuse. Run away. You should hear the explosion (duh!). Return and enter
the newly formed hole. If you want to explore any of the previous areas,
do so before you step into this new opening. Welcome to the Northern Areas.
=============
LEAD SHAFTS A
=============
(NB: I will no longer describe every examinable object, just a few of them.)
You begin facing a yellow container (there are more on the right). Walk past it
and proceed until you see an overhanging sign that reads "Power Room." Follow
the sign to the door. Notice (i.e. examine) the overhead cables and powerbox
next to the door. Pass through.
==============
GENERATOR ROOM
==============
Enter the room. There is an Artefact on your right, along with a Generator
Manual. Read the first two pages. So you need a Battery (different than
Flashlight Batteries) to start the generator. The generator control can be
found by facing the Artefact and turning around. Behind the large control
console are the actual generator turbines. Investigate this room, without
falling into the mining shaft in a corner of the room.
In your exploration, you noticed the box that contains the Generator Battery.
You need to break it. Remember the mining shaft "dug by hand?" Go up to the
wooden barriers surrounding it. Use the Hammer to break the wood and then push
the Battery box all the way down the shaft. Use a ladder on the side of the
shaft to get to the Battery. Go back up and place the Battery in its proper
place (on one side of the control console; look for the yellow label).
Now refer back to page 3 of the Generator Manual. "Clear of any people."
Check. "Turn secondary valve." Now go up to this massive console. From the
left, you see a sign coupled with a wheel labeled with the Roman Numeral
I (1). The next symbol is faded, but it says II (2). Turn this wheel. Check.
Item 3: "Turn on cooling system." That's the one to the left of the water drop.
Item 4: "Turn steam valve." That's the one to the right of the water drop.
Item 5: "Start grease flow." That's the one labeled with a water drop.
Item 6: "Turn primary valve." That's the one labeled I (1).
Item 7: Pull the lever. The lever is located to the left of the turbines at the
far end of the room.
The Generator fires up, but then stops. Go back to the console and look under
the grease flow wheel - a fuse has blown. Damn! Again! Now we have to go find
a new fuse. Exit the Generator Room.
===============
LEAD SHAFTS A 2
===============
Go out of this corridor and walk to the left. Walk until you hear the Dog
and the enemy music. Don't worry, you're safe. On your left should be one of
those gates that cars are blocked off with (it's yellow and black). Beyond
that is a gate. Beyond that is a Dog that can't get to you. To the right of the
gate is a Keypad. It needs power to work. Face the gate. Turn around. Follow
the path straight ahead. You'll reach a door. Go in.
On the shelf straight ahead is an empty box of fuses. One fuse remains at the
top of the shelf. Use nearby wooden boxes (not the cardboard boxes on the
shelves) to get that Fuse. There's another shelf to the right of this one.
Take from it Beef Jerky, a Flare, and an Emergency Directions Phamplhet.
Hug the same wall and return to the Generator Room.
================
GENERATOR ROOM 2
================
Go through the same steps to turn on the Generator. This time it works.
Save your game and exit again.
===============
LEAD SHAFTS A 3
===============
Use the same wall-hugging technique to return to the storeroom you were just
in. Exit again and walk to the right until you reach another door. It leads to
a Comm Center. Look at all the things in here, but two things are of
particular interest. To the left is a letter titled "Foreman's Warning".
(January 12 1972 = Wednesday). It talks about some background. Nothing much.
The other item is on the other table - a radio! After you get the radio, a
message in Morse Code begins to transmit. Use your Emergency Procedures
Phamplet to decode the message: 5738. A code. Who is in distress? Exit this
room and follow the path right until you reach a gated, lighted area. A dog
patrols beyond the gate. You receive a radio transmission from someone who
says that help lies beyond the gate to the right.
Enter 5738 on the nearby keypad. Kill the Dog with the Pick Axe. There is a
map here for you to examine. Enter the door to the right.
=============
LEAD SHAFTS B
=============
As you step through the door, the man on the radio sends another call.
What he basically says is that to get to the next area (the Iron Mines) you
need to use a drilling machine, but that drilling machine needs gas, and that
gas is in a storage room or tool room of some sort.
Go out into this first room. Kill the Dog with the Pick Axe (always kill Dogs
with your Pick Axe from now on); you can stand on a nearby crate for cover.
Try to prolong the battle so the Dog calls for help.
There's a gate in the wall I'm sure you've noticed (it's on the wall that's
opposite the entrance door). It's the "Auxiliary Shaft" (read the sign to the
left of the gate). Face the gate, turn around, and start walking down a
long corridor path. At the end you'll meet a second Dog if the first Dog
didn't call for help. A crate is here to help you again. After the battle,
reset to the T-junction in this room, facing "north" in the T. Take the left
option and walk until you reach two signs.
<---Excavation Tool Shed--->
Follow the Tool Shed sign and you'll immediately hit another T-Junction. A
third dog is to the left. Kill it, but there's no crate to help you this time.
Return to following the Tool Shed signs until you arrive at your destination.
(If you are ever presented with multiple direction options and no sign to
guide you, go left).
There's a cement mixer and shelves in here. From the shelves take a Saw,
a Flare, some Batteries, and the Xeno Report. The Report talks about
(I'm assuming) the discovery of these save game Artefacts you've been seeing.
Hmmmm. But no gas. Leave the Tool Shed and walk along the path. At the first
directional choice go straight. At the second go right. The Storage Room is
"The place where things are kept." Try to open it. Locked. Like everything
else down here. Red radios in and says (I'm paraphrasing here) to get to
Storage via Excavation. Follow his instructions - turn around, turn right,
and start walking. Take the next right possible. Enter the door to Excavation.
==========
WATER CAVE
==========
Examine the lighting system here. Walk downwards and you reach Excavation
proper. There's an absolute plethora of stuff to examine here. All the
lights, several boxes of equipment, an area cordoned off with safety cones,
pieces of a broken ladder, etc. There's also a table here with
Excavation Findings and another Artefact.
Now, there's a long ladder piece and a short ladder piece. Take the long
piece and look up. In the wall you should see a passage leading up
(if examined, the message ends with "...exact opposite." Throw the ladder into
its hinge. Use the storage boxes and safety cones to build a stack you can
use to jump to the ladder. Climb up.
=============
WATER TUNNELS
=============
Okay, this place is VERY dangerous. It's a spider haven. Run everywhere,
no walking.
Go to the right. You'll see some human organs on the floor. Don't stop to
investigate anything but run to the left. You'll come out into a room with
flammable fluid on the ground - use your Zippo Lighter on it (don't stand on it
when you ignite it!). There's a rock nearby - use it to blockade the entrance
as well. Look forward again run! You'll come to green slime. Throw a nearby
rock into the slime and cross. Next you'll run into rubble. Use that
Pick Axe. Run run run the spiders are after you!!
============
STORAGE ROOM
============
You're safe.
Look around. See the door covered with boards? Destroy the boards. Red tells
you to find a gas canister here: "go-go juice." To the right of the door
you're standing at is a first aid cabinet - Painkillers are in (there is
a blocked door further to the right). To the left of the door is another door
which leads to a store room. Go in. There is lots of old junk and 2 Flares
on the floor. Exit the room and go down the corridor on the right to the end.
In this storage room you'll find Beef Jerky, a Flare, and some Batteries.
There's also a green cabinet on the wall to the right of the room labeled
with a key (it's by the shelf with the supplies on it). Move the cover to the
left and look into the cabinet from the right. Take the Large Key you see.
Leave this room.
In this corridor you're in, see the vent in the ceiling, low to the floor?
Using the Hammer knock out this vent. Crawl through and knock out the grate
at the other end. You've emerged into a room. Go down the ramp. To the left
is a crane. To the right are Batteries and steps up into a lighted control
room for the crane. You see three levers. Move the right one all the way op
and lower the left one slightly*. See where the box is positioned? Use a crate
to jump to the box. Use the box to jump to a shelf with a vent in it. Smash
the grate and enter.
*Before you leave, note the save artefact and take the book from the locker
on Inuit traditions.
In this vent shaft, do not go down any - stay level. You'll come out in a room
with the gasoline canister on the floor. Take it and get out the small way you
came in (use the small cardboard crates to get out). Leave the storage area
through the door that used to be boarded up.
===============
LEAD SHAFTS B 2
===============
Go left when given a choice. When you see signs for the Auxilary Shaft,
follow them. Return to the blockaded door at the first beginning of this
area. Use the Saw on the board. Go through.
=============
LEAD SHAFTS C
=============
Kill two Dogs to the left. Continue left as far as possible. Take the
Excavation Log from the table. Turn around. Go right, right, right. Enter
the door.
=============
LEAD SHAFTS D
=============
(NB: This section exists in a notes-only format. Full writing will be included
in a later update).
Shelf w/Artefact.
Take power cord. One end into power supply. One end into digger console.
Hammer + Gas (in inventory)
Gas to where it says "Fuel."
Key into digger control panel. Start digger.
Red speaks.
Long corridor.
Exit.
=============
IRON SHAFTS A
=============
As you enter this new area, the entire room shakes. Wait until the quake
subsides then step forward. There's a huge chasm here - "like an opening into
Hell." Fortunately, there are planks in place so you can cross. Do so. Then you
have to turn a corner. See the door at the end? Walk up to it. Something groans
on the other side. The door shakes. Take a few steps back. Then the door bursts
open. It's a GIANT worm!!! (I liken it to Jeff from the movie Men in Black II)
Turn and start running!!! (Use Shift by default). Get about halfway through
the plank system and turn back. The worm, in its stupidity, falls into the
pit to god knows where. Now that that scare is over, go back to the door,
look at it, and go through to the next area.
Several interesting things in here - an unopenable door to the left, a hot
pit to the upper right, industrial material straight ahead, and a natural
corridor system to the right. Enter that final option.
This is arguably the hardest segment in the game. There is a tunnel system here
with two paths that are almost the same - they are parallel, however. One
spider is patrolling this area. He's EXTREMELY hard to hit. Use your Pick Axe.
After he's dead, notice the pile of spider eggs on the first path (you take the
first left from the room in the above paragraph; the eggs are to your left).
Provoke them and kill them all - you are permitted the use of one Painkiller.
Continue along the path(s) to the end. A man-made room.
To your left are papers from 1965. All around the room are old sacks. A set of
propane tanks are to your right. There is a lever straight ahead. Pull it, and
an alarm sounds - the unopenable door has opened. Start to walk back - you'll
find that about three more Spiders now populate the tunnel. Take your time in
killing them. You are permitted one Painkiller. Now pull the lever again. Run
back to the door and go through it.
=============
IRON SHAFTS B
=============
Red sends a radio message to you - he's close by and you have to find him! Go
through the door. There is a Dog in the area to your right (it may take a few
turns to reach him). Kill it. Then situate yourself at the entrance door again,
facing out, merely as a point of reference. There is a map to your right. Find
"Tool Storage." Tools are nice. Let's go get some. Turn your body left. Then
the directions to Tool Storage are as follows: RLRLL. You should pass mining
crates and a crushed fence/barrier on your way. You should also see the door
to Sector C - it's keypad locked. Opposite from Sector C is Tool Storage.
There is an outer room here with junk. There is another area further in the
back, though. In this area you'll find a Screwdriver and some Boltcutters.
Take them and return to the mine proper (the area with the broken "sealed"
barrier; the T-junction). Let's go to Shaft 12. Follow the mining signs to the
left. Use maps to your advantage (From the junction face left them RLR). Kill
the Dog you find on the way.
Notice the barbed wire fences next to Shaft 12. Open the door - locked.
Who could've possibly guessed? Alright, we need to get in. Let's see if there
is a path via Shaft 13. Follow the mining signs (add directions). Do not engage
any Dogs. Enter Shaft 13.
========
SHAFT 13
========
Go forword. You see a locker room of sorts, but it's blocked by a huge boulder.
So turn around. Look at the now-left-side of the bridge. See the piece that is
missing railing? Hop into that tunnel and go forward. The way back caves in.
Perfect. Welcome to another spider segment! Follow these directions:
SSLLRRLLSSRL
S is for Straight, R is for Right, L is for Left. For that first straight, I am
referring to the path that is second from the left.
You'll eventually end up in a man-made locker room, the one you saw in the
entrance to Shaft 13. To the left is a rock (there is a piece of wall lying
against the rock). Take the rock and block the route to the Spider Tunnels.
Yay! You survived!
Now let's investigate this room. Situate yourself as if you arrived here from
the spider tunnels. There are lockers to the left and to the right. There
is a note in the middle of the room on a bench. There are sinks to the upper
right and another cave-in in the upper center. The exit is to the left.
In the lockers to the left are two Batteries and two Flares. In the lockers to
the right: Beef Jerky and a Blank Note (top row, second from the left, under
the Hard Hat). On the bench is another note. Leave Shaft 13.
===============
IRON SHAFTS B 2
===============
Let's go to the Refinery - maybe there's a way into Shaft 12 from there.
Use the directions RSLSRSKRSL - after a time, you'll see direction signs on the
wall. In the directions, K means to Kill a Dog that you meet.
========
REFINERY
========
Go up the stairs to the left. You'll see a series of buttons. I'll label them
as fallows.
A-B-C-D
E-F-G
Press B, C, then F. You'll notice that all the pistons in front of you are in
the up position. Crawl through the conveyor belt that they previously blocked.
Lots of things to investigate here. A closed conveyor belt to the left,
a wormhole of sorts in front of you, a ladder to your upper right, and a
storeroom to your right. In the storeroom are two Flares, two Batteries, and
other junk, including "a spare motor." Now let's try to get that ladder down.
Take a rock from the storeroom. Return to the first area of the Refinery with
it. See the secondary conveyor belt to the left as you enter this area? Place
the rock on this conveyor belt. Then hurry back to the ladder you need to
knock down. Watch as the action unfolds. Climb the ladder and pick up the
rock. Also press the switch that's up here (it opens the conveyor belt across
from the ladder.
Notice the fan. You need to stop it. Jam it using the rock - I would place the
rock somewhere on the floor, to the left a little. Crawl through the
incapacitated fan. Then there's a vent to crawl through. At the end, climb
down the ladder. See the gargage door here? If you try to use a nearby switch
to open it, it doesn't budge. Look into a hole to the left of the door.
You need a motor. Return to the storeroom in the previous area, grab the motor,
and lug it back here. Place it in the appropriate place. Now the switch works.
Go down the conveyor belt to the next area.
There are several tiles here. Each tile emits steam. But there is a pattern.
Let's assume you're facing forward the entire time. When the first tile
does not emit steam like the rest, step on it.
From tile 1:
Up a tile
Right a tile
Back a tile
Right a tile
Up a tile
Up a tile
Up 2 tiles
Run to the finish
Go up the stairs here. Try the door - jammed. Go back down the stairs. Notice
the stack of barrels slightly to your left? Remove the barrels and use the
Hammer to smash the revealed vent grate. Enter and use the right path. When
you reach the end, enter the vent grate (put all weapons away).
========
SHAFT 12
========
Go down the path to your left. Notice another cave-in and the fact that the
mine cart here is being held in place with wires. Jump past the wires and
descend. You'll come to a week-old cement wall, probably put up by Red in his
attempt to survive. Return to the wires - use Boltcuttters on them. Push the
cart to the botton where it crashes through the cement wall. Welcome to another
new area.
Let's go clockwise around this area. You'll find these items
1. Bookshelf
2. Old projector. Turn it on and view the picture.
3. Booksheld
4. Projector screen
5. Copenhagen post article on the floor
6. Save Artefact on desk
7. Bulletin Board above desk "Grey Rock Worm"
8. Newspaper in desk drawer
9. Chalkboard with worm drawings
10. Door with key in keyhole
11.
===============
IRON SHAFTS B 3
===============
(NB: Notes only)
Go to sector C 1371.
--------------------
(NB: Sorry! The rest of the walkthrough is in notes only format!!)
Any questions for the end section should be mailed to
tripp9@bellsouth.net
This section involves getting into the incinerator.
Go to chemical storage. Encounter with giant worm. Remember to run and to
block the worms passage in any way possible. In chemical storage, grab
chemicals A-F and kill the dog.
Go to Lake Utuquaq (note the artefact on the table). Stepping on ice fractures
it. Cleverly get across the lake to a dead "Freeman." Take his crowbar and
return to the Intercinerator. Enter.
Go left across many precarious boards to a mixing room. Use the chemicals to
create the bomb. Blow up the wall. Have fun!!